Den Mother
by LadyNightRunner
Summary: This is Tifa: mom, bartender, chauffer, nurse, search and rescue operative, lover, cook, and master of the house. And this, dear reader...is a day in her life.


I confess: I used to hate Tifa. I still don't like the way she's often portrayed- that whole 'friendship will fix everything' thing really gets me riled up. But she is a strong woman. We know this. She takes care of two kids, runs her own business, and deals with Cloud at his emo-y worst. And she still smiles at the end of the day. She's someone to admire.

This piece is placed in the same universe and timeline as Fuzzy Stuff, and is the regular 'verse of the flipside/negaverse that Discipline was placed in. More of this 'verse will be revealed in time, but for now, understand that Vincent is Sephiroth's biological father and that 7th Heaven has been expanded (courtesy of ShinRa) to house an extra five or six permanent residents. Tifa is the den mother for this testosterone-infused madness, and she thrives on it. Or so I believe she would.

Written mostly in one sitting, over five clementines, a lot of coffee, and the end of an apple crisp while listening to the wind howl outside and the pigeons on the porch coo their little heads off.

* * *

><p>Monday morning, Tifa rolled out of bed at 5am. She showered, dressed, and was downstairs in half an hour, damp hair braided out of her face.<p>

Angeal was already up, sitting in the breakfast nook with his head in his hands and a cup of cold coffee on the table in front of him. He looked tired, and hardly moved when Tifa laid her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," she said softly, shaking him. He blinked and looked up at her, blue eyes dark. "How long have you been down here?"

"Since midnight."

She sighed and stroked his hair gently. "Nightmares again?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, Angeal."

"Nothing you can do about it."

"I know. And I'm sorry for that, too. Want some fresh coffee?"

"Please."

Tifa nodded and took the cold cup away, emptying it and setting the machine up for a fresh pot. A big pot, since there were a lot of people in the house who drank a lot of coffee.

By the time the coffee was ready, Cloud and Zack had both appeared in the kitchen. Cloud said nothing, pouring himself a bowl of cereal and settling down to eat it. Zack, on the other hand, fetched a cup of coffee and sweetened it with copious amounts of honey, which caught Angeal's attention.

"Sore throat, Pup?"

Zack nodded, put his coffee down, and proceeded to form a string of hand signs that meant absolutely nothing to Tifa. Angeal, though, seemed to know exactly what was being said to him.

"His voice is pretty much gone," Angeal translated. Zack signed at him again. "Then go back to bed. Cloud and I can cover for you. No, if you're sick you need rest. Uh-huh. Why do I let you kiss me with that mouth?"

The next sign Zack used was universal, and it made Angeal laugh.

"Fine, fine, work if you want to. But only half of the afternoon."

Zack gestured at Cloud.

"Cloud, you're in charge. Tell him to take part of the afternoon off to rest."

Cloud looked up from his cereal. "Do it or you're on desk duty," he grunted.

Zack made a rude gesture at him, too, then picked up his coffee and settled in the nook beside Angeal, snuggling up to the larger man with a smile. Angeal returned the smile, putting his arm around Zack.

For a while, the kitchen was quiet.

Just before six thirty, Marlene came barreling down the stairs with Loz in tow. Both of them were still in pajamas- flannel pants and a t-shirt with cartoon characters on it for Loz, one of Loz's t-shirts for Marlene- and both were wide awake. A faint silvery sheen was visible on Loz's face, proof that he was once again denying the fact that he was the only Valentine male to grow facial hair. Someone would have to coax him into shaving later.

"Morning!" Marlene caroled. She shrieked with delight as Loz scooped her up onto his shoulder and headed for the coffee pot. Tifa fetched the milk and handed it over. As a rule, no one under the age of eighteen was allowed to have proper coffee, but coffee that was mostly milk and sugar was perfectly acceptable. Marlene and Loz both knew exactly how much they could get away with, a fact made very clear by the way they poured coffee into their mugs with the care and precision of chemistry students trying to get a measurement right.

Tifa had eight lunches packed by seven thirty. The brightly colored lunchboxes belonged to Marlene, Denzel- who had shuffled in and eaten his breakfast in the same stony silence as Cloud- Loz, and Kadaj, who had yet to make an appearance. The larger lunchboxes, originally a mostly uninspiring shade of slate with silver accents, had been decorated with fabric paint and stickers, courtesy of Marlene, and belonged to Cloud, Angeal, and Zack. A tidy little bento box, featuring a hand-painted scene of Wutai in the spring, was set aside for Yazoo.

Kadaj arrived bleary eyed and belligerent, just in time to have a toast and peanut butter sandwich shoved into one hand and his lunchbox shoved into the other.

"Eat," Tifa ordered. "And have an apple or something. I'll be right back."

She rushed outside and got Marlene and Denzel onto the bus, hurried back inside for goodbye kisses on the cheek from Angeal, Cloud, and Zack in quick succession, and then turned her attention to Loz and Kadaj. Loz was on his third bowl of cereal, and Kadaj was sulkily nibbling at an apple, ignoring the spots of peanut butter around his mouth.

"Okay, guys. Grab your stuff."

Loz pointed at the backpack sitting on the floor near the sink.

"What about yours, Kadaj?"

"I'm not going."

"Yes, you are. Go get your bag."

"No."

"If you don't take it, then you can explain to your instructor why you don't have anything with you."

Kadaj shot her an evil look and stormed back upstairs to fetch his backpack. He was back down a few minutes later, dragging his feet and letting his backpack bounce off each and every step on his way down.

Tifa bundled him and Loz into the car, ignoring his attitude, and dropped the pair off at the local youth center, making sure Kadaj was handed off directly into the hands of the first tutor of the day.

"He's in a snit," she warned, watching Kadaj throw his backpack and lunchbox into a locker.

"_Bitch_," Kadaj snarled.

"Kadaj, we don't use that language here," the tutor said firmly. " If you say something like that again, you will lose ten minutes from your break period."

Kadaj sneered at both of them and dropped onto a couch to wait.

"I'm sorry," Tifa sighed.

"It's fine. I've had to deal with worse. Is everything alright at home? Maybe something bothering him?"

"His oldest brother hasn't been around in awhile. He and Cloud are the only people he really respects."

"And Cloud hasn't been around much either?"

"No, Cloud just refuses to take Kadaj's attitude. If he acts up, Cloud ignores him. And Kadaj throws a fit."

The tutor nodded. "Youngest child syndrome," she chuckled. "I've been there. I can handle him, and I'll be sure to give his other tutors a warning as well. Don't worry about it."

Tifa thanked the tutor and left, doing some grocery shopping before she headed home.

Back at 7th Heaven by ten, Tifa bustled through the door with both arms full of groceries, fully expecting to see Yazoo in the kitchen, sipping tea and picking at whatever he'd made himself for breakfast, enjoying the peace and quiet of an empty house. He wasn't there. She sighed and finished unloading the car, put away everything that needed to be kept cold, and headed into the back of the house, taking two flights of stairs up to Yazoo's attic hideaway. His door was, thankfully, unlocked.

"Yazoo?" she called, pushing the door open and peering inside. The room was dark, curtains still drawn, which was unusual. Yazoo liked natural light, had chosen this room because it had windows that would provide light for most of the day, and he opened the curtains as soon as he got out of bed.

A soft groan drew Tifa's attention to the futon in the corner. Yazoo was there, lying on his back with a floppy pillow over his face. The beaten metal trashcan from his art corner was on the floor beside the bed.

"Honey? Are you alright?" Tifa asked, even though she was fairly certain she already knew the answer to that question.

Yazoo whimpered quietly. Tifa approached the bed, kneeling on the empty side and reaching out to touch Yazoo's bare shoulder. He was hot to the touch and running with sweat. "Not feeling well, huh?"

"Not at _all_." Big green eyes opened and fixed Tifa with a pitiful look. "Make it stop."

"Make what stop?"

"My stomach hurts so much…make it stop. Please."

She pushed the blankets down and pressed her hand to his abdomen, feeling the muscles tight and trembling.

"I can get you a heating pad," she offered. "For the cramps. And some medicine, too. But neither is going to work right away."

"I know."

"How long have you been sick?"

He shrugged faintly. "I don't know. It was still dark when I woke up."

"And you didn't tell anyone?"

"I feel asleep again," he said softly. "And then no one was home when I woke up later."

"I had to take Loz and Kadaj to class."

"I know. So I came back here."

Tifa smiled fondly and brushed Yazoo's sweaty hair out of his face. "Do you want to move downstairs for a bit? The extension on the heating pad won't have to stretch as far if you're on the couch, and I can change these sheets."

"Okay."

Yazoo wound up curled around the heating pad on the couch, a mop bucket close at hand, and quickly fell asleep after taking a double dose of extra-strength medicine- nothing else really worked on people with that much Mako in them. Tifa made sure he was tucked in and as comfortable as he could be before hurrying off to get a load of laundry going.

/-

Zack returned to 7th Heaven shortly after 2 that afternoon, dusty, slightly sunburnt, and coughing like a career smoker.

"You sound terrible," Tifa sighed, elbow deep in clean laundry.

"I feel terrible too," Zack wheezed. He headed to the sink and drank straight from the tap, long gulps of water that ran down his chin and throat, cutting muddy lines in the dust. When he'd finished, he sighed and slumped against the counter. "'s been a good day, though. Mighta got us a contract with a bakery on the other side of town." He turned away from Tifa to cough into his fist. It was a dry, hacking cough that made Tifa wince.

"That sounds like it hurts. Do you want me to see if I can find you some cough syrup?"

"Nah, cough syrup and I don't really get along."

"It would help."

"Tifa, one of two things happen to me when I take cough syrup: I puke until I pass out, or I get stoned. I really don't wanna do either right now."

Tifa sighed. "Fine. How about a cup of tea with honey?"

"That would be _great_."

Tifa made the tea, then turned around to find that Zack had vanished. A little searching found him in the living room, stroking Yazoo's back and holding his hair out of the way while he retched weakly into his bucket. Pleased to see him interacting with one of the Remnants, who tended to avoid him (except Loz, who usually adored Zack), she stayed back until Yazoo cleared his throat and spat, then allowed Zack to push him back onto his pillow.

"Your tea is ready, Zack," Tifa said softly, padding over to the couch.

"Huh? Oh, thanks. Hey, how long as he been sick?"

"Since last night, apparently. I found out after I got back from getting groceries. Why?"

"Angeal got real sick while we were out in Junon last week. Could've been contagious before he left."

"It could have been anything, really, I'm sure it wasn't Angeal."

"I dunno, Teef. High fever, sweats, nausea an' cramps an' a lot of puking. Sounds just like what he had. An' if he got it, it can hit anyone in the household. And Seph, too."

Tifa groaned. "God, I hope not." She bent over Yazoo, kissing his sweaty forehead and stroking his hair briefly. He made a small, unhappy sound and rubbed at his eyes, wiping away the tears that had gathered on his eyelashes. "Do you want to try the medicine again, honey?"

"No."

"Alright. Your bed's all ready, if you want to go upstairs, or you can stay down here if you like."

"Down here." Yazoo sniffed and pulled his blanket up. "I like knowing there's someone else home."

Tifa smiled and kissed him again, then quietly excused herself.

/-

When the time came to pick Loz and Kadaj up from the youth center, Tifa checked the living room to find that Zack had settled at the other end of Yazoo's couch and that Yazoo had cuddled up to him, seeking the warmth of Zack's significantly larger body. Both were asleep, but she doubted they would need her for the short time it took to fetch the younger Remnants and bring them home.

It took much longer than it should have to fetch Loz and Kadaj. Loz was ready to go when Tifa arrived, grinning and bearing an art project he'd completed. He would never have his older brother's flair for art, but he had the basics down and his painting of 7th Heaven was destined for the place of honor on the fridge. Kadaj, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. Loz was accompanied by one of the tutors.

"Kadaj is in the office," he said quietly. "He had some trouble earlier this afternoon."

"Oh, _no_. What happened?"

"Come with me, please." The tutor dug in his pocket and took out a couple of tokens for the arcade. "Loz, here, you've been wonderful today. Go play a few games while I talk to your guardian, okay?"

"Okay!" Loz handed his painting to Tifa with a bashful smile, took the tokens, and bounded off to play his favorite racing game.

"If every student we had was like that, I'd never regret this job," the tutor remarked, heading for the main office of the tutoring center. "He's a joy to work with."

"He really loves it here. And he knows that he gets to come because we're helping him get ready for the real world, which he wants. He wants to work with Cloud when he's a little older, but Cloud told him he has to understand math before he's allowed." Tifa smiled fondly. "He started getting Yazoo and Zack to quiz him immediately."

"The change has been very obvious; his math scores have been getting much better. After you."

In the office, Kadaj sulked in a corner, perched on a flat wooden stool facing the wall. He turned towards the door as it opened, revealing that he had a black eye, a swollen lip, and traces of blood around his nose.

"Please, sit down," the coordinator at the desk murmured. "How nice to see you again, Ms. Lockheart."

"You too, Mr. Kraemer." Tifa sat, placing Loz's painting in her lap and casting another look over at Kadaj. "What happened?"

"I'm afraid we had a little-"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kraemer, but I left a sick teenager at home, and I don't have the time for a full story. What did he do?"

"He started a fist fight with three other students."

"Why?"

"He was being teased."

"About?"

"A very bad score and several rather creative answers on a recent test." The coordinator looked over at Kadaj and sighed. "We've spoken before about a certain amount of leeway concerning his response to remarks about his family or his appearance, Ms Lockheart, but this had nothing to do with either."

"Are the other students okay?"

"Overall, Kadaj fared the worst. We had a couple of bloody noses and another black eye, but all three students were larger than he is, so the majority of the damage was inflicted on him. Nothing serious, thankfully, but he does have some heavy bruising and the nurse said he hit his head fairly hard during the scuffle." He handed a piece of paper across the desk to Tifa. "Policy requires a week of suspension. As he is a repeat offender, we will not be sending a tutor to the house to help him keep up with his assignments. Sign here, please, and you can take him home."

Tifa signed, took her copy, got to her feet, and looked over at Kadaj. "We're going."

"I don't want to go."

"You don't have a choice. We need to go."

"You can't make me."

"Loz will come in here and carry you to the car if I ask him."

"I don't _want_ to."

"Kadaj, Yazoo is very sick and I had to leave him at home to come and get you. I've already stayed much longer than I'd planned to because you got into another fight, and if something happens to him, you will be the reason I won't be there to take care of him."

The threat to his brother worked. Kadaj scowled but got up, fetched his backpack and lunchbox from the shelf near the door, and slouched out. Tifa followed him out, finding that the tutor had gone ahead to fetch Loz and the big Remnant was ready to go, though staying a safe distance from his little brother.

/-

Tifa pulled up at the house just behind Vincent's Jeep. She peeked through the back window and saw a head of mussed silver hair, sighed, and crossed her fingers before getting out of the car and letting the Remnants out. Loz went tearing into the house to tell Zack about his classes that day, with Kadaj trailing behind him and dragging his backpack through the very edge of the flowerbed beside the path.

Vincent climbed out of his Jeep and stretched, watching the boys go inside before he looked back at Tifa.

"I don't want to know, do I?"

"Probably not." He moved around the car, Tifa following, and opened the passenger door. Sephiroth was inside, the seat reclined almost completely horizontal, bundled up in several blankets. A half-full water bottle lay across his legs, and there was a gallon freezer bag on the floor beside his feet. It was sealed, and for good reason, as there was vomit inside.

"Oh _no_."

"He's been sick since yesterday." Vincent sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I hate to impose on you, but I'm being shipped out to Wutai tomorrow- Rufus needs a bodyguard who speaks high Wutain, and Tseng isn't eligible because his wrist is still healing. I can't leave him alone like this."

"No, no, it's fine. Yazoo has the same thing, actually; Zack thinks Angeal gave it to both of them."

"Of course he did. Do you mind? I wouldn't even think of asking normally, but this is something of an emergency."

"I don't mind at all. Let me make sure the bed's made in the guest room, alright? Just bring him in whenever you're ready."

Vincent sagged against the side of the Jeep in relief. "_Thank you_."

Tifa rushed inside, leaving her purse and Loz's painting on the counter in the kitchen. She checked the living room, finding Yazoo and Zack still asleep and Kadaj sitting on the floor beside the couch, silently holding Yazoo's hand. Loz was nowhere to be seen.

"Get some ice for your lip," Tifa said softly. "It will help the swelling go down." Kadaj ignored her. She sighed and reached out to touch his hair very lightly, her fingertips just brushing over the silver strands. "Sephiroth's coming inside in a few minutes, okay? He's sick, just like Yazoo is. Do you want to help me get the room ready for him, or will you stay right here until I get him settled?"

Kadaj looked up at her, squinting through the swelling in one eye socket. "Big brother's sick?"

"He is."

"I can help?"

"Yes."

"'kay."

Together they made the bed in the downstairs guest room, adding several extra blankets. Tifa made sure there was nothing to be tripped over while Kadaj fetched another cleaning bucket, this one from the garage. He made it back just before Vincent walked in with Sephiroth leaning heavily against him, trailing blankets.

"Here you go," Vincent said gently, helping Sephiroth settle slowly onto the bed. "Tifa's going to take care of you."

"Brother?" Kadaj popped up on the other side of the bed, watching Sephiroth slowly crawl under the bedclothes and sink into the pillows with a sigh.

"Mrph?"

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Nngh."

Kadaj hesitated, then climbed onto the bed, sitting against the headboard as close to his side of the bed as possible. He didn't touch Sephiroth, or even try to, but he watched his brother without blinking, clearly worried, until Sephiroth rolled over with a huff, grabbed Kadaj's hand, and laid it on his head. Kadaj smiled very faintly and began to stroke his hair.

Tifa and Vincent took that as a sign to get out of the way and leave the brothers to their bonding.

"He got into another fight?" Vincent asked, once they had moved into the kitchen and Vincent was being forced to wait while Tifa packed leftovers for him.

"With three other boys."

"Over what?"

"His grades. He was the only one who really got hurt this time. Do you want some bread, too?"

"Please." Vincent pinched the bridge of his nose. "I've tried talking to him already, Tifa. I'd do it again if it would help, but he doesn't respect me as a relative at all, let alone as his father."

"I know. Cloud can usually talk some sense into him, but he's been so _busy_ lately that he hasn't had the time. And you know what Kadaj is like."

"He only answers to Cloud and Sephiroth," Vincent sighed. "And Sephiroth has no interest in being an authority figure."

Tifa nodded, snapping a lid onto a plastic container full of pasta. "How has he been doing, anyway? Is the meditation helping?"

"With the nightmares, no. But it is helping with the panic attacks. I don't have to call the house ever hour to make sure he hasn't hurt himself anymore. He calls me. Or he misdials and calls Rufus."

Tifa giggled. "Does that happen often?"

"It happened yesterday. He decided to get sick almost immediately after I'd left for work. Called Rufus instead of me, vomited while on speakerphone, and got Rufus to send me back the moment I walked in the door."

"Oh, the poor thing! Here you go, everything's packed."

"He was almost smug about- Tifa, when am I supposed to eat all this?"

"It freezes," Tifa said firmly, arranging the containers in a plastic grocery bag. "Of course he was smug, he likes knowing he can get the President of ShinRa to do whatever he asks, even if all he asked for was for his father to be sent home because he's sick and wants to be fussed over."

"I do not _fuss_."

"Oh, please. You do. And you enjoy it."

Vincent was still denying it on his way out the door.

/-

Marlene and Denzel got home from school shortly after Vincent left. Denzel went upstairs to do homework, and Marlene began trying to mother both Sephiroth and Yazoo. Sephiroth silently endured her until she left, while Yazoo, who had woken in a panic because of a fever dream, burst into miserable tears and had to be helped upstairs to calm down; he threw up on the landing and fled to his bedroom, where he locked the door and refused to let anyone inside. Zack picked the lock and had a book on watercolor technique thrown at him for his efforts.

Tifa managed to get dinner started while juggling Denzel's questions about the Wutai War, Marlene's questions about what she could do to make Sephiroth and Yazoo feel better, Zack slouching around the living room and coughing ominously, frequent pauses to check up on Sephiroth and Yazoo, fielding a phone call from the tutoring center concerning Yazoo's unexplained absence, and making more tea to try and ease Zack's cough.

/-

Cloud and Angeal returned home just after six. Both were just as dusty as Zack had been, maybe even more so, and didn't make it past the entry before Tifa caught them, wordlessly handing over a laundry basket. They stripped without argument, then booked it up the stairs in their boxers to get cleaned up and dressed.

Cloud came down first, hair drooping with damp from his shower. He meandered into the kitchen and looped his arm around Tifa's waist, stretching a little to kiss her cheek. "Hey."

Tifa turned to kiss him back. "Welcome home. How was work?"

"Pretty busy. Who's in the guest room?"

"Sephiroth."

"What happened? Did he and Vincent get into an argument again?"

"'fraid not. He has stomach flu and Vincent is leaving for Wutai in the morning."

"And you actually let him into the house?"

"Yazoo has it as well. And Zack thinks Angeal's the one who gave it to both of them, so there's no point in keeping him out."

Cloud groaned and hid his face against Tifa's shoulder. "Both of them are sick?"

"And Zack. He's running a low fever; he just doesn't want to admit it. Here, taste this."

Cloud opened his mouth obediently, allowing Tifa to pop a spoonful of sauce into his mouth. He groaned softly. "Tifa, that's _fantastic_."

"Thanks." Soft coughing from the living room made Tifa sigh, put the spoon down, and bustle off to see what could be done about Zack.

/

Dinner was a quiet affair. Kadaj ate with the rest of the family, though only because the smell of his dinner in the guest bedroom had triggered a fit of vomiting from Sephiroth and Tifa had suggested eating elsewhere so Sephiroth could feel better. No one said much, and they dispersed quickly when the meal was over, Marlene and Denzel to do homework, Loz and Angeal to do dishes, Kadaj back to his vigil in Sephiroth's bedroom, Zack to the home gym in the basement, and Cloud after Tifa, who was going through the pre-opening chores for the bar.

"You don't have to open tonight," Cloud said quietly, watching Tifa check bottles and taps. "With Yazoo and Sephiroth and Kadaj you've had your hands full all day."

"I'm fine, Cloud," Tifa promised, checking a glass and putting it back. She tossed a towel on the bar and padded over to Cloud, kissing his cheek. "You get to mind the kids tonight."

"Lucky me."

"I'd ask Angeal, but he looked ready to fall asleep in his pasta."

"'s okay. I just _love_ doing math homework with Denzel."

Tifa giggled and kissed Cloud again, giving him time to return it, and it was quite awhile before she remembered to get back to her prep work.

/-

The note on the door into the bar warned that 7th Heaven would be closing early because the bartender had family matters to attend to. It was all Tifa needed to do to ensure that the crowd of regulars cleared out by midnight. During the time she'd been open, there had been three quick trips inside to deal with Sephiroth and Yazoo, and once to kiss everyone under the age of seventeen goodnight (except Kadaj, who remained on Sephiroth's bed, serving as protector and the announcer of anything not right with the big man).

It was jus after twelve thirty when Tifa locked the door and headed into the house. Cloud was waiting in the kitchen with a cup of tea.

"_Thank you_," Tifa breathed, holding the cup to her chest and reveling in the clean, herbal scent. "How did homework go?"

"I learned more about algebra than I ever wanted to know, and Marlene drew a picture of me for art. Loz got Angeal to do flash cards with him until he passed out on the couch." Cloud pulled Tifa against his body, one hand resting in the small of her back. "You work too hard."

"I do not."

"Tifa, what time does your alarm go off this morning?"

"It's Tuesday, so…not until seven."

"And what time is it now?"

"Almost one."

"You're working too hard."

Tifa laughed and shoved Cloud. He shoved back. She tickled him.

They decided to take the tussling upstairs before someone walked in on them.

/-

Around three in the morning, Denzel shuffled into the bedroom and tugged at Tifa's arm until she rolled over with a groan and blinked at him.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"Zack won't stop coughing. It woke me up."

"I'll go see what's wrong. You go back to bed, okay?"

"'kay." Denzel shuffled away, and Tifa sat up slowly. Cloud stirred beside her.

"Hmmn?"

"Zack's coughing is keeping Denzel up. I'm going to go see what I can do for him. You stay. Go back to sleep." She leaned over to kiss him, then slipped out of bed and pulled on a robe. It turned out to be Cloud's, so it was a little short, but it worked.

The minute she stepped into the hallway, she could hear it, drifting down the hall from Zack's end of the house. She winced and almost ran own to Zack's door; it was closed, and still the sound of his coughing traveled easily outside the room.

"Zack? I'm coming in." Tifa doubted Zack could hear her, but thought it would be best to warn him anyway.

Zack was in bed, sort of sitting up, though he was hunched over far enough that Tifa wasn't sure she could call it sitting up. One arm was wrapped around his middle, and the other hand was over his mouth. He was red in the face from coughing, which tapered off a little as Tifa approached the bed, not enough to let him speak, but enough that he could gasp for breath between coughs.

"Hey," Tifa said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. Zack leaned into her with a groan, eyes squeezing shut. She hugged him gently until the coughs died away and he was just slumped against her, panting raggedly.

"Did I wake you up?" he wheezed.

"Not me. Denzel."

"Mmph. Sorry." Zack cleared his throat and winced. "I'll try to keep it down."

"You should really take something for that cough, Zack."

"Teef, I _know_, but-"

"It's been years since the last time you would have needed cough syrup. It probably won't have the same effect on you as it used to."

"But-"

"Not only are you keeping me and the kids up, you aren't getting any sleep either, and how is that doing you any good?"

"It's _not_, but…fine. I'll try it."

Tifa smiled and kissed his forehead. "Be right back."

When she returned, Zack obediently choked down the suggested dose of thick orange fluid, washed it down with a full glass of water, and let Tifa kiss him again and tuck him back into bed, yawning.

"Told you it would be fine," Tifa whispered smugly. "Sleep well."

Since she was already up, Tifa decided to check in on her other patients. Yazoo was asleep, curled in a ball around a body pillow and murmuring softly in his sleep. A quick touch told Tifa his fever was still high, but he appeared to be sleeping soundly, so she wasn't going to meddle. Downstairs, Kadaj was passed out across Sephiroth's legs, but the ex-general in question was sitting up in bed, stroking his little brother's back and watching the door until Tifa walked in.

"Oh, you're up. How are you feeling?"

"Ill." Sephiroth blinked slowly at Tifa for a minute. "Isn't that Cloud's robe?"

"I was in a hurry. "

Sephiroth nodded. "Something's happening."

"What?"

"Out there." He looked towards the window. "At the church, I think. Something…maybe outside the church already. I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

Sephiroth began to sway slightly, eyes half closing. When he replied, he sounded drunk, like his tongue and lips weren't quite cooperating. "It's cold out, and he's so thin…" He slumped forward, dead to the world. Tifa carefully unfolded him so he could sleep easily and dove out of the room, running back to her own.

"Cloud!"

Cloud twitched and sat up. "Whu?"

"Someone's out there!"

"What?"

"Sephiroth said someone's outside. At the church."

The last time Sephiroth had said that, the Remnants had been found, weak and hurt, in an alley two blocks down from the church. The time before, he hadn't mentioned the church, and Angeal had turned up in an old shed in Corel. Before that, it was Zack, in Costa del Sol.

Cloud got out of bed as fast as he could.

"Wake Angeal. We'll need him."

"Why?"

"There's only one person left to come back, and he grew up with Angeal. And he went insane, so…if there's anyone who can handle him, it'll be Angeal."

"Who?"

"Genesis Rhapsodos."

"I'll stay here, with the kids."

"What? Tifa, you need to go with Angeal."

"Why on earth would I do that? He's a SOLDIER. I'm not-"

"Trust me. He needs you and Angeal more than he needs me. _Go_."

/-

Tifa got Angeal out of bed the moment she said 'Genesis'. He was halfway out the door before Tifa caught up with him and made him get dressed while she boiled a pot of water and made a thermos of tea. With that and a bag of other supplies, she and Angeal piled into the delivery truck.

There was no one at the church, but there was water on the grass and trailing out the rear door, some of it still resting on the wood instead of sinking in, so whoever had left it couldn't be too far away.

The trail stopped just outside the church, conveniently at the junction of two backstreets.

"Go that way," Angeal said softly, pointing. "If you find him, call me. I don't know…he might not be too happy about any of this, let along being found by a woman he doesn't know."

"He doesn't like women?"

"He's not fond of anyone prettier than he is."

"But I'm not-"

"Tifa, I'd_ love_ to stand here and explain exactly what your considerable charms can do to a man, but since we're in a hurry, suffice it to say that Genesis understands the power of a rack like yours and probably won't like seeing it anywhere near him on principal. Unless you're naked and offering to let him play with them, in which case he might like you a little more."

Tifa blushed and smiled and nodded. "I'll call you, then."

Naturally, a left and two right turns later, Tifa found a naked man huddled up down a dead-end alley. He was covered in grime and quite wet, pale skin rough with goosebumps, but his hair was the rich red Angeal had promised and he had a birthmark shaped like a starburst on his hip.

"Genesis?" Tifa asked softly. "Genesis Rhapsodos?"

The man looked up, blue eyes bright in the dim light from a streetlight at the end of the alley.

"You're Genesis?"

Genesis hissed at her. A smell of ozone began to seep into the air of the alley, and Tifa winced. Wings often came out when men like Genesis and Sephiroth made that smell.

"I'm a friend," she murmured gently. "I'm here with Angeal Hewley."

"_Mine_," the redhead growled darkly.

"Yes, he is yours. I've got someone else and I'm very happy with just him. But Angeal and I are friends, alright? He lives at my house- him and a lot of others."

"Others?"

"Others like Zack Fair. Do you know him?"

"The puppy."

"Mmhm."

"Angeal's."

"You could say that. I'm going to call Angeal now, okay?"

Genesis nodded and curled in on himself while Tifa made a quick phone call. When she was finished, she shoved the phone into her pocket and opened the tote she had brought alone, pulling out an emergency blanket and the thermos.

"Here. Until we can get you inside." She wrapped the blanket around Genesis without touching him, remembering how violent Zack had been when he'd first come back, then sat back on her heels to open the thermos and pour a steaming cupful of tea. "Tea?"

He took the cup, sniffed at it, then sneered and handed it back without a word. Used to that kind of behavior from Sephiroth, who could be picky about some of the strangest things, Tifa emptied the cup and replaced it. "Angeal will be here soon."

Angeal arrived only minutes later, carefully pulling the truck up level with the alley. He left it running and dove out, vaulting over the hood to get down the alley faster.

"Genesis!"

Genesis tried to get up. He managed almost vertical for a moment before staggering to the side, and Angeal only just managed to catch him before he fell. Once he was in the arms of the big man, however, he relaxed, cooing softly and trying to crawl up his body, pressing close and clinging to him.

"Shhhh," Angeal whispered, standing up with Genesis in his arms. "Calm down. We're going home."

"Burned it," Genesis moaned, pressing his face against the side of Angeal's neck. "Burned it to the ground."

"Not Banora. 7th Heaven, where I live now."

"Horrible name."

"With Zack."

"Horrible child."

"And three of Sephiroth's imperfect clones."

Genesis made a strange sound. "Clones?"

"Teenagers."

"I'm not going."

"You can sleep in my bed."

Genesis quieted again, letting Angeal settle him in the passenger seat. Tifa tucked the blanket around him and perched on the jump seat behind the other seats, hanging onto the back of Angeal's seat to steady herself.

Halfway home, the Mako poisoning kicked in. Genesis moaned and almost cried as he broke out in a drenching sweat, fever rapidly rising to the point where a normal human would have needed emergency attention. He tried to hide his face against Angeal's arm when the vertigo hit, long fingers digging into the upholstery as an anchor. He did not throw up, though he threatened and at one point even made them pull over, but he was a complete wreck by the time they pulled into the garage behind 7th Heaven.

Angeal carried a bundle of blanket and redhead inside, letting Tifa go before him to open doors.

Sephiroth was standing in the darkened hallway, green eyes glowing in the dimness. Tifa screamed and scrambled backwards, almost tripping Angeal before Sephiroth turned the light on. He was wrapped up in a quilt and shaking, bare feet pale on the stone tiles.

"You found him."

"In an alley near the church."

"He's ill."

"Mako poisoning."

"My bed."

"But Sephiroth, you're-"

"My. Bed."

Kadaj was still asleep on the bed, though he woke enough to complain when Sephiroth lifted him and set him in the corner. Eyes large and curious, he watched as Genesis was unwrapped, the blanket discarded, and he was settled down between the sheets. Sephiroth crawled in with him, prompting a slow, confused blink. Delicate, graceful hands reached up to feel Sephiroth's face.

"Don't stick your fingers up my nose," Sephiroth grumbled. Genesis groaned. "If you're cold then lean on me. But I'm not coming over there to get you."

Genesis squirmed across the bed and tucked himself against the long line of Sephiroth's body. He sighed, eyes flickering closed again. Sephiroth laid his arm across Genesis' shoulders and seemed to melt into the pillows.

Off to the side, Kadaj made a mournful sound. Sephiroth cracked one eye open, sighed, and beckoned. Kadaj tiptoed to the side of the bed and stared at the redhead cuddling with his brother.

"He needs watching," Sephiroth said quietly.

"But-"

"Kadaj." Just the quiet voicing of his name was enough to get Kadaj to stop trying to complain and just look at his brother. "There were four people I would have died for when I was in the army. Genesis is one of them. He is very ill and very weak, and I can't stay awake to mind him. I need you to do it for me. Can you?"

Kadaj was very quiet for a minute. Then he nodded and climbed onto the bed. Sephiroth raised his head and let him squirm around, then settled comfortably with his head in Kadaj's lap.

Tifa just watched, smiling faintly. When there was no more movement in the bed, she padded over to it, kissing Kadaj's forehead and Sephiroth's cheek. She was about to leave the room when a soft, grumpy voice issued from the vicinity of Sephiroth's jugular.

"Where my kiss?"

Tifa giggled and leaned over the bed again, sorting through hair and blankets to find Genesis' face. She kissed his nose. He blinked owlishly at her, and a tiny smile curled one corner of his mouth up. Then he sighed and his eyes closed again. Tifa replaced his blankets and left the room, Angeal trailing after her.

"Get to bed, you," Tifa said affectionately, pushing Angeal towards the stairs. "You need the sleep even more than I do."

"I should stay with them. They need-"

"They're both already asleep, and Kadaj is watching them. You, on the other hand, are still awake after a long day and no sleep last night."

"Tifa, you don't understand, they're-"

"Your best friends. But who's going to take care of them in the morning? I have to tutor Kadaj, since he's been suspended again. Zack's going to be staying in bed. Loz is going to school and so are the kids. Cloud will be working and Yazoo's not getting out of bed either." She fixed Angeal with her best begging expression, the dreaded pout and puppy eyes that could bring the most stoic of men to his knees. Angeal fought it, then caved like a folding screen and nodded. Tifa smiled and kissed his cheek. "Go to bed," she said softly. "They'll still be here when you get up."

/-

Tifa checked on every single sleeper in the house, spreading an extra blanket over Zack, picking up the stuffed animal Marlene had pushed out of bed but would be wanting when she woke up, smoothing Denzel's hair out of his face, rearranging Loz's limbs on his bed so he didn't wake himself up by falling out of it, and spending half an hour in Yazoo's room, rubbing his shoulders while he gagged ineffectually over his trashcan, then tucking him back in and singing softly until he fell asleep. Angeal was asleep and snoring when she checked back on his room, and finally, it was time for her own bed, and Cloud's comforting presence in it.

Cloud rolled over with a sigh and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the back of her neck.

"Got it all taken care of?"

"Everyone's in bed," she murmured, kissing the nearest arm. "Genesis has Mako poisoning, but he's in bed with Sephiroth and Kadaj is watching them. I only got Angeal to go to bed by telling him he gets to mind both of them in the morning. Zack's fever is rising. Yazoo is asleep again, but he was sick when I checked. The kids and Loz are all sleeping like the dead."

"And you need to sleep now," Cloud said gently, caressing her stomach through her nightgown. "And you're sleeping in. No getting up at seven."

"But-"

"I'll get the kids up and to their classes. The world won't come to an end if you get an extra hour or two of sleep."

"But Zack-"

"Will be fine without you for a little while. I hate to break it to you, Tifa, but we manly men got by alright before you came along to take care of us. Angeal can force medication into Zack if he needs it, and he can do anything else the rest of our current crop of invalids need."

Tifa sighed. "Fiiiiiiine."

She was asleep before she could feel Cloud kiss her goodnight.

/-

In the morning, Cloud silenced the alarm before Tifa could wake up fully, kissed her cheek, and slipped out of bed. There were lunches to be made and kids to load onto a bus. There was one Remnant who needed to be taken to class. Zack needed tea and cough syrup. Yazoo needed a clean trashcan, dry sheets, and comforting. Sephiroth needed sheets and his bucket needed to be moved to the other side of the bed where Genesis could reach it easier; Genesis himself was a sweaty mess and mumbling in his sleep, but didn't need anything. Kadaj needed to be torn away from the bed long enough to be stuffed with breakfast. Angeal had to be given the same treatment before he went to replace Kadaj in the bedroom.

Cloud managed just fine.

/-

Tifa woke up just before 10am, well rested, warm, and ready to face her usual morning rush. Only it had been taken care of, and someone- probably the resident blonde delivery boy- had left a vase of wildflowers on the nightstand for her.

The house was quiet when she padded downstairs into the kitchen. Cloud was nowhere to be seen, probably at work. Tifa sat in the breakfast nook with a cup of tea and some toast, marveling at the peace.

Not ten minutes after she had finished the toast, Zack wandered in. He was flushed and looked tired, and he made a beeline for Tifa's corner of the nook. She smiled and let him stretch out along the bench with his head in her lap, trailing blanket all over the place.

"You let Cloud and 'geal sit on me an' make me take that orange stuff again," he grumbled. His voice had gone from the raspy mess from the day before to a barely-there wheeze. Tifa winced.

"I did. You needed it."

"It tastes awful."

"I know."

Zack sighed and stretched a little, like a dog getting scratched in just the right spot.

"Teef?"

"Mmhm?"

"I actually came down here for a reason."

"I'm sure you did."

"Kadaj's sick."

"_What_?"

"He just puked a few minutes ago. Won't leave Seph's room. Angeal needs help."

Tifa didn't hear the rest of what Zack said, which was something about how they would need straps to keep Kadaj in bed while Sephiroth needed looking after. She was too busy hurrying off to Sephiroth's bedroom, ready to do what she did best.


End file.
